


I'm finally found

by Vintaboop



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Found AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21668662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vintaboop/pseuds/Vintaboop
Summary: Set before the events in the movie.Spinel is found alone in the garden, Steven brings the abandoned gem back to earth to start a new life with some new friends.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

She stands there, quietly waiting with her hands clasped together. Vines long dead, snaked around and up her legs, trapping her in place. Her eyes were half closed, staring idly at the warp pad in the short distance from where she is. No sign of life around her. Many of the plants now dead from the lack of care. Even since Pink Diamond had left her in their little waiting game, nothing had been tended to.

Spinel’s gaze fell, eyes now staring at the cracked ground beneath her. Was she doing this right? Surely Pink meant to come back… right? Or was she doing this wrong? Should she go looking for her? Would that be against the rules of the game? Her lips became a thin line, shaking her head, dismissing the thought. No, Pink wouldn’t do that, not to her best friend.

… Right?

Almost like it read her doubts, the warp activated and her eyes shot up to watch who came through. Had Pink come back? Did she win the game? She didn’t move, just like what she was told. Oh how she longed for this moment. A smile crossed Spinel’s face, a glimmer of hope in her eyes as the light from the warp faded away. Only, instead of seeing the familiar form of Pink Diamond. It was someone, something entirely different.

The being looked around, finally spotting her in the distance. Then, unexpectedly, this being jumped in the air, towards the gem.

“Hey, are you Spinel?” they spoke up, the being landing gracefully before her. Spinel gasped, backing away, but as she went to move her legs, the vines held on and caused her to fall backwards onto the ground. Almost defensively, she brought up an arm, who was this? What are they? How do they know her?

“Wh-who are you? Where is… Where is Pink?” She managed to get out, her voice a tad foreign as she hadn’t needed to speak in such a long time, not since Pink had left her to their game.

“Oh, I’m Steven, Steven Universe! I’m so sorry it took so long to get here, I wasn’t sure where this garden was and had to look around just to figure that out.” He reached out a hand, offering to help the gem up. “Pearl told me about you, or at least what little there was known about you.”

“Little known… about me? I don’t understand,” she was hesitant, but eventually reached up a hand to take his. Letting the other being help her stand and help her keep her balance, she hadn’t moved her legs in so long, the vines were pretty much the one thing holding her up.

“Sorry, this must be weird, and confusing. Pink Diamond was my mom,” He shifted, his hand reaching down to pull up the bottom of his shirt, revealing a familiar gem embedded into his stomach. Spinel took a step back, she knew that gem. She would know that gem from anywhere. What was this? What’s going on?

“I… I still don’t understand, why do you have her gem? Where did she go? What’s going on?” She stared wide eyed at the gem on this ‘Steven’. She could feel the tears beginning to form. When Steven took notice, he moved closer, but she flinched back and as a reaction, formed a massive fist and punched him away hard enough that it sent him flying back into one of the pillars that were still standing. “St-STAY AWAY!” she yelled, though she gasped when she realized what she had done.

Steven groaned, standing in the rumble and brushing himself off before looking at Spinel. There was a clear look of worry on his face. Why did he look so worried? Shouldn’t he be mad that she punched him? The human steadies himself before he starts walking back over to her. He must have seen just how scared she looked.

“Spinel, it’s okay, you didn’t hurt me, I’m fine.” He held out a hand, which she backed away from. “Please, I just want to help,” he spoke more softly this time. “It has to be pretty lonely here in this garden.” He gives a soft smile, still holding his hand out to the frightened gem. “I can explain everything, I swear, but I want to take you away from here first before I do that.”

Spinel was shaking, her eyes frantically staring at this being as he spoke to her. She wasn’t really supposed to leave the garden, not when the game was still going. This ‘Steven’ seemed very adamant on getting her to leave. Maybe something bad happened to Pink, he did have her gem in his belly.

“Can’t… Can’t we just talk here? Pink and I were playing a game and I can’t stop playing it. What if she comes back?” She gives a half smile, maybe this being could be reasoned into staying.

“She won’t be coming back for you.” He sounded sad, a frown on his face.

“Why not? Why would you say something like that?” She started to shake, what was he saying? Why would he say something so… so mean.

“Because she doesn’t exist anymore.” Steven stated, his expression a mixture of worry and determination.

“What?” Spinel felt a sudden pain in her chest. She brings her hands up to clutch at her gem. Her eyes shifted from staring at Steven to staring at the ground. Was that why he has her gem? But that doesn’t make any sense, how did he have her gem, it didn’t look cracked or shattered. “I don’t… I…” she fell to her knees, they suddenly felt very weak. Steven took a step forward, but he kept his distance, hesitant to approach.

“Spinel? I’m sorry, I know this is a lot to take in, but my mom, Pink. She gave up her physical form to have me. She’s gone, I’m what’s left of her now.” He took another step forward, before his body was met with another fist. Sending him flying into another pillar that shattered from the impact.

“NO!” The gem cried out, her body shaking. What was this feeling? Was this anger? Why was she angry? She shouldn’t be angry, best friends shouldn’t be angry, but she just felt… so damn angry. Her hands were clenched into fists, she looked angry and pained. Her chest was hurting a lot now, but she bit through her pain. “I DON’T… I don’t believe you…” she quieted herself, tears starting to run down her cheeks. “I refuse to believe Pink would just… l-leave her best friend here…” She was breathing harder now, the more she talked, the more believable the thought was that she was just left here, abandoned by the one person she thought was her friend. “Th-that she would j-just… leave me here.” She let out a choked laugh, “Why does… why does this hurt so much?” she reached a hand to her chest, “What’s going on?” She let out a sob, moving to wipe away the tears only to have them continue flowing.

“Spinel…” Steven stood up again, coughing through the dust and climbing out of the rubble again. He watched as the gem was clutching at her gem. “SPINEL!” He rushed over, dropping down next to her. He was met with a weak push to his chest as Spinel attempted to push him away, but her arms did listen to her very well, and simply rested against him instead.

"Go away," she choked out through sobs, her hand balling into a fist on his chest as he drew closer. She felt arms wrap around her, causing her to flinch. "W-Why would she l-leave me? Was I-I not good e-enough for her?" She was breathing pretty hard, a hand constantly trying to wipe away the tears while the other moved from Steven's chest to her own, clutching the gem placed there.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why mom did what she did, I'm sorry I don't have the answers you need." Steven gives her a gentle squeeze as the gem in his arms deflated a bit. Spinel leaned in against the human as he welcomed her into his embrace. She stayed there for a good while. At one point, Steven wasn’t sure she was even awake anymore, but remembered that gems don’t really need to sleep.

“Wh-why do you have it?” He blinks, looking to the gem, who was now poking at his stomach area, specifically where his gem is located. “Why do you… why do you have Pink’s gem?” she sniffled, rubbing her eyes a bit. It seems like the tears had at least stopped, but it still looked like there were some stragglers.  
Steven stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about how to tell Spinel. Then he looked at the gem, who happened to be looking at him with wide, sad eyes. He cracked a small smile, then shifted to stand, pulling himself from the gem. His hand wanders to pull up his shirt again, showing her his gem.

“I inherited her gem when I was born. This is all that’s left of her now.” He paused for a moment, then gave a half smile to Spinel. “Well, this and all the bridges she left unburned.” He looked a bit frustrated, his hand gripping at his shirt as he brought it down to cover his stomach. “Pearl told me about you though!” He smiled at her, “She said you use to be mom’s playmate… or something like that, a best friend?” He thought for a moment. It took Spinel a moment, her eyes staring at the human before her. Her hands gripped all the more tighter around her gem.

“Pink and I were best friends, we would spend hours here in the garden.” she started, her voice shaky at first. “We would have so much fun, just the two of us…” there was a smile on her face, but no sooner was it replaced with a frown. “Or so I thought…” then the tears started up again, but she made no move to wipe them away. Steven stood there, watching the gem cry. He was silent again, unsure of how to proceed.

“Someday, somewhere, somehow…” he started, softly and slow, almost like a song. He held out a hand, reaching down to place it on Spinel’s hands, hoping she would stop clutching at her gem in fear that she might make herself poof. “You’ll love again, you just need to find… someone.” He gives her a soft smile, their eyes meeting as he helps her stand up, steadying her as she tried to regain herself. She kept a hand held to her chest once she was steady, gripping onto his hand as Steven began leading her towards the warp pad.

“Someday, somewhere… somehow…” Spinel chimes in, quietly joining along as she watches Steven cautiously. “I’ll love again… I just need to find… someone,” she wipes her eyes as best she could, not letting go of Steven’s hand. “Someone… who treats me better, someone who wants me around.” Steven smiles softly at her, stepping up and onto the warp.

“Someday, somewhere, somehow, you’re gonna feel found.” He smiles wider, helping her up onto the warp pad. Once she was steady, he warps the two of them away from the garden and back to earth.


	2. Chapter 2

It was strange, as she sat there with a cup in her hands, the contents inside steaming. She was told it was called hot chocolate, it tastes good, as this was her fourth cup of it so far. Steven, Amethyst, and Spinel were sitting on the couch in the living room. All three watching as Pearl was frantically fussing over how much of a mess Amethyst left the kitchen after trying to make some food. Turns out she's not a very good cook, however it was pretty fun to see her attempt, cooking human food looked like fun.

"Amethyst, I can't believe you still managed to set the kitchen on fire! What if someone got hurt?" Pearl was currently trying to scrub a burn mark off the counter.

"Come on, P, no one got hurt, and it wasn't that bad." Amethyst had gotten up from the couch, moving over to the kitchen to help the other gem. While they were occupied, Steven nudges Spinel and motions for them to go outside. The two sneak out, leaving Pearl and Amethyst to their ordeal. Steven takes her down to the beach, he picks up a shell in the sand and throws it into the water.

"Pi-... uh, Steven?" She was getting a little better at it, remembering that the human was not Pink Diamond, even if he has her gem.

"I figured we could do something better than hear Pearl fuss over Amethyst." He chuckles, turning to look at the gem.

"Oh, yeah," Spinel gives a nervous laugh. She shifted a bit, looking down at the sand, kicking it a little.

"I know you haven't been here on earth for long, but how are you holding up?" Steven gives a small smile, he made himself comfortable, kicking off his sandals and digging his feet into the sand. He Pat's the spot next to him, letting Spinel know that she could join him if she wanted.

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. He asked her a question, but wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer or not. He's not a diamond, but he has the gem of one. Would she be punished for not answering if she didn't want to? She was made to be a best friend, but it feels like she's failing at that now. Just like with Pink, does that mean he'll leave her too if she doesn't live up to his standards? Subconsciously, her hands moved up to grip her gem, a nervous habit since first leaving the garden. Though the pain that crept in confused her, why was she in pain? Panic had crept into her mind.

"Spinel?" She flinched, being pulled from her thoughts and staring wide eyed at Steven, who had turned to look at her with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?" Steven was about to get up when Spinel held up a hand, giving him the peace sign as well. She had a half smile on her face.

"Sorry, my di-...uh… Steven… I was just… I suppose I’m still not sure how to act around you.” She looks at the sand, digging a foot into it a bit.

“Spinel,” Steven got up and walked over to the gem, she was a bit smaller than he was, and it showed just how intimidating she found him when he stood over her slightly and she had a glint of fear flash across her eyes. “It’s okay, I’m not a diamond, I’m just Steven.” he rubs the back of his neck, giving a soft smile.

Then he went in for a hug, which caught Spinel off guard a bit as she flinched at the touch, but realized that he wasn’t going to hurt her. She deflated a bit, her arms dropping a little as she wrapped her arms around the human. That’s right, he wasn’t them, that was one of the first things she was told. That Steven wasn’t a diamond, or a rose quartz, he was just… Steven.

“Yeah, that’s right,” she spoke softly, her face nuzzling into his chest, making her sound muffled. “I’m sorry.” She felt the arms give a quick squeeze before they were no longer hugging her.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Steven gave her a reassuring smile, then looked around, smiling more when he spotted a familiar shop sitting at the edge of the beach front. “How about we go get some donuts! I know I could use a pick-me-up!” He moved, motioning for Spinel to follow. For a split second, when Steven moved away from her, a hint of fear crept into her mind, like he was leaving her behind, but it dissipated immediately when he motioned back to her to follow.

She gave a half smile, mentally thankful that he didn’t toss her aside, and at least tolerated her enough to let her follow. Spinel jogged up to walk next to him, instinctively taking a hold of his hand. When he didn’t pull away, she smiled a bit more.

They made their way towards The Big Donut, the door ringing as they walk in. Steven heads over to the counter, greeting another human. Spinel, hiding behind him, peaked around his side to watch the exchange between the two. She heard a name, Dewey? Humans have strange names. This other human looked much different than Steven and- Oh! She was being waved at. The gem, hiding behind Steven a bit more, sheepishly waved back at this ‘Dewey’ human, who was smiling at her. So Spinel gave a small smile back. They didn’t spend too much time in there, Steven got something he called ‘the usual’, whatever that meant, and left the building.

“Humans all look so different from each other.” Spinel had wandered off in front of Steven a bit, now munching on one of those donuts. “And this tastes sweet, like that hot chocolate stuff you showed me.” She looked back at Steven, he was smiling at her. She looked more excited than she was earlier. He should take her out more, as long as it helps right?

“Yeah,” He chuckled, this was a refreshing thing to see of Spinel, it was… nice. He walked up so that they were walking side by side now, offering her another donut. She looked at it with a bit of excitement, then look at him a quizzical expression, pointing to herself. When he nodded, she smiled wide and held out her hand, letting him set it down before she examined it. There was a hole in the center of this one, where the first one she ate was solid with some kind of sweet filling inside. This one also had some sort of coating on it, glaze she thought is what Steven said just now. She was more enamored with the fact that it had a hole in its center, confused by the choice.

“Why does this one have a hole in the center?” She asked, not really thinking about the question. There was a soft gasp as she stopped walking and stared at it, that smile she had seconds ago has somewhat faded. Steven stopped as well, looking at the other with a confused look.

“Spinel? What’s wrong?” Steven looked concerned, because the gem before him was now frowning.

“Is it… defective? Is that why it has a hole? It wasn’t… it wasn’t good enough to make whole?” She was holding the donut carefully in her hands. Steven blinked, walking closer to her, giving a soft relieved sigh and smiling reassuringly at her.

“No, it’s not a defect, this is how it was made, on purpose. It’s supposed to look like that.” He wraps an arm around her, “Even if it was defective, it would still taste just as good.” His smile widens more at her, “You could say it has more character in it!” Spinel blinked, there was a look of internal debate as she looked from Steven back to the donut in her hands. Then she slowly raised it up to her mouth and took a bite. Then tears started rolling down her face, which made Steven panic a bit as he moved to kneel in front of her. “Spinel?” She looked at him, chewing slowly as she tried to blink the tears away, but ended up having to wipe them away instead.

“It tastes so good still.” She spoke, even though her mouth was full. Steven gave another sigh in relief, then smiled softly at the gem. He just let Spinel get the tears out, standing next to her and rubbing her back. Once she was done eating the donut, she wiped her eyes a bit, sniffling loudly before Steven handed her a napkin to blow her nose in.

“How are you feeling now?” He was handed the napkin back, putting it into the paper bag that held the donuts and tossing it into the nearest trash can.

“M-much better… thank you,” Spinel spoke softly, twiddling her figures a bit in a sheepish manner.

“Good!” He smiled, before turning his head towards the sound of someone calling out his name. That made Spinel jump and hide behind Steven before he called back out to the others and moving to walk over to them. It took the gem a moment to realize she could just follow him before actually doing so, at which she once again took a hold of his hand.

There was a group of five humans hanging around this… Well, Steven called it a van last time Spinel had seen it. She recognized one of the humans too, his name was Greg, and Steven called him a ‘dad’. He was okay, was pretty nice to her when they first met. When they got closer, Greg noticed Spinel hiding somewhat behind Steven and gave a wave to her as the two approach the group.

“Hey dad, you guys practicing out here today?” He waved to the rest of the group. Spinel hadn’t met these humans yet, so she stayed quiet.

“Yeah, figured it was a nice enough day to, we all decided to hang out here and practice for a bit!” A short blonde haired human spoke up, they gave a nervous chuckle. “You come to hang out with us?” That’s when they noticed the pink bundle hiding behind Steven, “Oh hey! Who’s your new friend?” They wave to the little gem, who waved back.

“Oh, this is Spinel! I’m showing her around a bit more. She’s new to earth and hasn’t been out very much yet!” He shifted, moving so that everyone could see Spinel. “Spinel, this is Sadie! That’s Buck, Sour Cream, and Jenny. They’re all in a band together! They are amazing!” All of them, as they are introduced, wave to Spinel, who waved back again in response. “You’ve already met dad!” Spinel nodded at that, and gave Greg a small smile, who gave a thumbs up in response. She blinked at that, mimicking the gesture. 

They spoke for a few moments, eventually Spinel went to sit in the sand next to Greg’s chair. She watched everyone intently, what were those weird tools in their hands. She’s never seen anything like them before. Spinel curled up a bit, Steven joining in with Sadie and her group as they played together for a bit. After they were finished, Spinel was staring at them in awe.

“What are those things? How are they making that sound? Can I play one?” Spinel had stood up and walked up to Buck, stars in her eyes as she bombarded him with questions. Steven and Sadie looked at each other and then to Spinel, both smiling though Steven looks more ecstatic than anything.

“Spinel, we could teach you how to play the guitar if you want, Dad’s a really good teacher.” He spoke up, walking over to the gem, who was now bouncing up and down.

“Really?” she looked between Steven and Greg.

“Oh yeah. You could say I can-show you how to play the bahn-jo,” and he snapped finger guns at the two of them. Steven appreciated the joke, but it went over Spinel’s head, as she becomes more confused than anything.

“What’s a bahn-joh?” Spinel blinked, looking between the two as they started to laugh a bit. She blinked again, what was so funny? She just wanted to how what and how to play this bahn-joh.


	3. Chapter 3

She dug her feet into the sand, the sound of waves crashing in the distance as the breeze came in from the sea. Her eyes were half open, and she stared into what seemed like an endless horizon. Spinel had curled up, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked a bit frazzled, and it looked like she hadn’t actually taken proper care of herself in days. Spinel didn't want to see anyone, and was making a point to avoid everyone. The gem had managed to find an area on the beach where she was able to hide amongst the rocks. Large chunks of the temple that managed to place themselves just right to keep her out of immediate view. She uncurled herself and reached for an instrument that had been sitting in the sand beside her and began idly plucking at a banjo that rested in her arms. Ever since Greg and Steven offered to teach her, she hadn't set the instrument down. She wasn't nearly as good as either of them, but she was certainly enjoying the distraction. At least until it left her in moods such as this.

She let out a sigh, her eyes shifted slightly from the banjo to the water and back. From ildy plucking at the strings, her hands had moved to her gem, gripping it slightly. Even when she was around people, she was still feeling alone. Spinel didn’t know what had happened or what was going on. She had been left out of all this.

“Hey,” Spinel let out a startled yell, she jumped up and had the banjo in a ready position to hit whoever had approached. When she saw it was Amethyst, she lowered the instrument and started to chuckle a bit.

“Ho boy! You sure did give me a scare!” Spinel wiped a hand over her face, chuckling a bit more before it faded. Amethyst was giving her a half smile by the time she had finished and was leaning against one of the boulders, arms folded.

“Sorry,” The gem responded back, watching as Spinel had gone back to sitting in the sand, banjo in hand. “I just… wanted to come check up on you. Everyone is worried and the vibe in the house right now is… yeesh.” Amethyst made a cringed expression. “Mind if I join you?” She pointed to an empty spot beside Spinel.

“I… I guess you can.” Spinel looked at the spot next to her before she laid the banjo down on the other side of her and curled up again. Her face was half buried in her knees. It took a moment of hesitation before Amethyst sat down, she let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Oh man, You should have seen them when you ran out of there!” Amethyst smiled wide, “Pearl looked like she was going to poof from shock alone!” She laughed, almost hard enough that she had to wipe away some tears that had formed.

“Is that all you came out here for? To make me feel worse?” Spinel had shifted again, her hands now gripping her gem as she went to staring at the sand. Amethyst had stopped laughing and watched as Spinel went silent. Spinel didn’t mean to blow up like she did, but Amethyst managed to strike a chord just now.

“What? No, of course not!” Amethyst rubbed her neck, “Everyone is super worried about you, I mean, Garnet had to straight up hold onto Pearl just to stop her from coming after you!” Amethyst looked a mixture of annoyed and worried. “Steven wanted to come find you,” She rubbed her neck some more, “But I figured he might come off a little… overbearing?” Amethyst wasn’t sure if that was the right word to use. She must have struck another chord with Spinel, as the little gem had begun to cry a little.

“I didn’t m-mean to yell a-at her, I just…” Spinel wiped away some of the tears, but it did nothing to stop the flow. “I-I don’t understand m-much of this, I-I know sh-she’s t-trying to help, b-but… I d-don’t know wh-what I’m supposed t-to do. “ she was finding it a bit harder to breathe, and her hands had started gripping her gem tighter. That pained feeling she felt back in the garden had started creeping back. Amethyst watched her break down, she shifted a bit closer and placed her hands on Spinel’s hands. Spinel flinched, and immediately looked at the other as her hands were given a small squeeze.

“It’s okay to be angry,” Amethyst gave her a soft smile. Her hands didn’t move from where they were placed. “Pearl and I used to fight all the time, especially after Rose had left us.” She pulled her hands away, which made Spinel gasp a little through the sniffling she was doing. Spinel instinctively reached out to grasp Amethyst’s hand. Then let go and pulled it back up to her chest. She shifted away from Amethyst and curled up on herself again. Amethyst blinked, surprised at the gesture, but smiled a bit more. Maybe she was getting through to her? “It’s okay to feel sad too, I get that way sometimes.” She let out a chuckle. “I have the tendency to act like it doesn’t bother me, but it does.” Spinel blinked, turning her head to look at Amethyst, then she looked to the water, then the sand. She looked like she was searching for something. “You know, I wasn’t there for most of it, the war I mean.” Amethyst kept her gaze on the water. “I came out of the ground way late, by the time Rose had found me, Pearl, Garnet, and her had already been through the war and on earth for some time.” Her smile had faded a bit. Spinel stared at Amethyst for a good few minutes. “So I kind of get how you feel.”

“Amethyst… I’m sorry…” she spoke softly, still having to wipe away tears. If she was being honest, hearing that made her feel a little better about her situation. At least she wasn’t the only one that was left out of something.

“Nah man, don’t be, honestly it sounds like it’s better this way, not knowing.” She waved her hand in a dismissive manner. Spinel stayed quiet for a good while. Eventually, she had uncurled herself and relaxed a bit.

“I guess… I spent such a long time in the garden… waiting for Pink to come back,” Sinel started, she had to pause for a moment, it seemed she was trying to find words. “I never expected anything like this,” she motioned to the surrounding area, though she was trying to signify the entire situation. “All these things that were once taboo, all these changes, everything that you guys had done,” she felt the tears coming again. “I don’t know how I feel right now,” Spinel gripped at her gem. “I feel angry… and sad… for what Pink did to me.” She gripped it tighter, Amethyst thought for a moment that Spinel might poof herself. Then her grip loosened, and her hands rested over the gem instead. “But I also feel… relieved?” She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I’m glad I was found,” Spinel had gone silent for a moment, she looked thoughtful. Then she heard Amethyst shifting next to her, standing up. She held out a hand to Spinel.

“We should head back,” Amethyst smiled at the other gem, “I can only imagine Pearl is having a worry fit over the amount of time we’ve spent out here.” She chuckled, knowing all too well just how overbearing Pearl can get. “Best to not keep everyone waiting.” Spinel hesitated before she reached out a hand to take Amethyst’s own hand. When Amethyst helped her up, she had to dust some of the sand off herself. Then she went to grab her banjo, swung it over her shoulder by the strap. Amethyst had motioned for her to follow, and the two made their way towards the house.

They had made it up the steps and to the door. Amethyst opened it, though she took note of Spinel’s hesitation as the gem had grown nervous about entering the home. What was Pearl going to do with her? She was surely going to be punished for lashing out.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Amethyst had placed a hand on Spinel’s shoulder, the gesture pulling her from her thoughts. She nodded, letting Amethyst lead her inside, where Steven, Garnet, and Pearl were sitting in the main room. They seemed to have been talking, as Pearl had immediately stood up and opened her mouth to say something. Though it had been cut off, when Spinel held up a hand.

“I wanted to apologize,” Spinel had spoken up, she gave a nervous smile, which had then turned to a frown. Then it had softened and she looked thoughtful. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you the way I did, I ju-” She was immediately interrupted by a sudden gesture. Pearl had wrapped her arms around the gem, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“I should be the one apologizing to you,” Pearl gave another gentle squeeze. “I should have been more understanding of your feelings. It’s not your fault that things turned out the way they did,” Pearl had pulled away from Spinel a bit. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like you didn’t belong and I know you’re trying,” she gave Spinel a worried smile. Spinel wrapped her arms around Pearl and gave a good squeeze, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you… for giving me a chance.” Spinel unwrapped herself from Pearl, then took a step back. She looked a bit timid, her hands clasped behind her and her gaze averted to the floor. Pearl gave a soft smile to Spinel, then looked to the banjo strapped to her shoulder.

“Would you play something for us?” Pearl smiled. Spinel blinked and looked between everyone. Steven and Amethyst were both smiling at her, though Steven looked as though he had stars in his eyes. Garnet was leaning against the kitchen counter, she gave a thumbs up, but otherwise, said nothing.

“Oh, uh, I’m not… very good at it,” Spinel gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her neck a bit. “I only just started learning a couple weeks ago.”

“That’s alright,” Pearl held her smile, she took Spinel by the hand and led her to the couch. “You could show us what you’ve been learning.”

Spinel hesitated for a moment, then looked a bit thoughtful. She took out the banjo and set it up, looking at Steven for confirmation. When he nodded, she plucked a couple of the strings, making sure that they were in tune. Then she started to play as everyone gathered around her and listened.


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost too quiet in the house for the little gem. Steven, Pearl, and Amethyst had gone off to check up on someplace he was calling Little homeworld. Which left Garnet and Spinel alone for the time being, not that Spinel minded too much. She just wasn’t sure how to act around the fusion, as Garnet hardly ever spoke and when she did, it was typically to break up an argument between Amethyst and Pearl. So it left her with a half formed opinion on her. After they had bid the other three farewell, Garnet motioned for Spinel to follow her into the temple.

“Oh, um, a-are you sure you want me in there?” Spinel grew nervous, this was one of the places the crystal gems never took her, but Garnet was asking her to follow the taller gem inside. “I don’t want to break anything in there, heh, what with me being clumsy lately…’ She grabbed at her arm, she looked incredibly nervous.

“If I thought you would be a threat, I wouldn’t let you in,” Garnet spoke in a soft tone, a small smile on her face as she waits by the door. “Besides, we’re gonna need some peace and quiet in case they come back early.” She gave a thumbs up to Spinel, who returned it with a confused look.

“Oh, I… Why do we need to be in there for peace and quiet? Aren’t there other places that aren’t in there that would work instead?” Spinel had looked worried. Garnet, on the other hand, had walked over to her, placed a hand on the smaller gem’s shoulder and gave a smile.

“You’ll be fine, I promise,” she backed away, walking into the temple. Spinel blinked, for some reason, Garnet’s words had brought her some comfort. So she had walked in after the fusion, the door closing behind them.

There was a soft gasping sound that came from Spinel as she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes wide with awe as she gazed at the scene around her. It was vast, and open, much like if she had stood on the beach and stared out into the ocean. This room looked like it held no end, a sky that touches a floor that looked much like water, though there were no waves. Garnet stood not too far from Spinel, she waited for the other to take in the room they just entered. Then she proceeded to walk further in. Spinel caught sight of her movement and moved to catch up to the fusion. It had felt like they were walking for a long time before Garnet stopped at the edge of a raised platform. Spinel blinked, it didn’t look very tall, about a foot tall from what she could tell, and the sides looked like a waterfall, it made her think that they were standing on water. Garnet stepped onto the platform and sat down on one side of it. She waved a hand to the space across from her.

“Sit with me,” she spoke up, a soft smile on her face as she waited for Spinel. The smaller gem stepped up and sat herself down across from Garnet. She adjusted herself sit sit cross legged, her hands laid in her lap, fingers fidgeting as she stares and the reflective flooring beneath them.

“This is… it’s very pretty here,” Spinel spoke quietly, almost mumbling through her words.  
“I come here when I need to think,” She started, her expression unreadable. Spinel blinked at her, it was hard to tell what the fusion was thinking half the time. “Or need to be alone.” Spinel blinked, then looked confused.

“But you’re never alone though.” She looked to the fusion. Garnet let out a soft chuckle.

“You’re right, I’m never alone, I will always have two minds, but I don’t think of myself as two separate people.” She smiled at the smaller gem. “When we fuse, our minds become one, in synced with each other. We may be able to speak and think separately when fused, but we don’t feel like we are apart from each other.” She lifted up a hand, lowering the glasses and giving Spinel a wink, before placing the shades back up in their original position.

“But… what happens when you’re not in sync with each other?” Spinel frowned, her hands lifting up to her chest, though she kept her gaze on the fusion.

“If the emotions between us is strong enough, we unfuse…” Garnet frowned a bit, adjusting her glasses when she didn’t need to. Spinel blinked and frowned, her hands had reached up to grip her gem. Garnet leaned over and placed a hand over Spinel’s hands. “There’s no need to feel sad, it happens to all of us.” She smiles at the smaller gem, who had blinked back, her hands loosen their grip on her gem.

“I… I’m not sure how to feel about myself…” Spinel started softly. Her gaze planted on the ground, focused on the reflection of the false clouds that float above them. “On the one hand, I feel sad… and angry… and I feel… betrayed? Abandoned?” She let out a faint chuckle, her hands tightened around her gem. “I feel lost… and unsure of what to do and…” Spinel’s breathing began to waver. “I’m… I’m angry a lot… and scared and I don’t… I don’t understand how you guys tolerate me when e-even a diamond couldn’t…” Tears ran down her face, her hands tightened around her gem even more, a familiar pain starting to take hold. Spinel had curled up a bit, a pained look on her face as she attempted to wipe the tears from her face. “I-I think Pearl w-wants me g-gone… A-Amethyst seems nice b-but, I-I feel like she tolerates me t-to be nice… and… S-Steven…” Spinel gives a choked laugh, “P-Pretty sure h-he is o-only d-doing this to be… t-to be nice too.” She curls up more, that pain in her chest growing the more she thinks about it. All the negativity that had been building inside. These thoughts that had been plaguing her for a while. Like a festering wound, her thoughts had been infecting her and hadn’t been able to voice them. It was when her form flickered, that she was pulled from her thoughts by an outside force.

“That’s not true,” Garnet had moved closer, a hand placed on Spinel’s hands, gripping them lightly. Her glasses had faded away to show her eyes, all three staring down at the small gem. A worried expression on her face. “Spinel, You may not realize it, but you have a lot more in common with most of us than you realize.”

“H-Huh?” Spinel blinks, she had flinched away from the touch, but didn’t move away from Garnet herself. “Wh-what do you mean?” She wiped her face, then looked at Garnet with confusion.

“You and Pearl and the only ones out of us who have even dealt with Pink Diamond personally. The two of you know what she was like, and though your experiences with her were different, she’s hurt the both of you in a similar way.” Garnet had smiled, even though her eyes looked sad. This was the first time since interacting the the fusion that Spinel had ever seen her show so much emotion. Was she always like this?

“In a… similar way?” Spinel blinked, as she opened her mouth to ask more about it. Garnet held up a hand.

“It’s not my place to talk about it,” she gave a soft smile. “You will have to ask Pearl more about it, as I cannot speak for her. However, I will say that the experience affected most of us as well, but we each had our ways of dealing with it.” She raised a hand to her face, pushing up the shades that suddenly appeared on her face.

“I don’t know if she’d willingly talk to me now…” Spinel had curled up again, her face somewhat buried in her knees. “I feel like I messed up pretty bad with her…” She felt the tears start to form. She bit her bottom lip just to fight them back.

“Pearl will calm down, once the storm has passed, the two of you can talk. She may be disgruntled about it, but she will listen.” Garnet shifted a bit, placing her hands in her lap. For the time being, if you would like some help… I may be able to help you with your emotions.” Spinel perked up a little at that.

“Wha? How?” She shifted a little bit of childish curiosity showing as she shifted herself into a better sitting position. The fusion give a soft chuckle.

“Sit as I sit,” she started, her voice was calm. Spinel shifted into the same, or at the very least, a similar sitting position, legs crossed, hands in her lap. “Then takes a deep breath… in… and out,” she made gestures as she spoke, drawing in a deep breath and slowly exhaling. Spinel followed her actions. Then, much like the sound of a song, Garnet speaks again.

“Take a moment to think of just… flexibility, love, and trust.”  
“Take a moment to think of just… flexibility, love, and trust.”  
“Here comes a thought…”


	5. Chapter 5

Spinel sighed, her gaze fixated on the waves in the distance as she stared out the front window of the beach house. She was alone for the day, Steven had left with Garnet to some new placed he was calling ‘Little Homeworld’, while Amethyst was running an errand with Greg. Pearl was around, but she had made herself busy around the house. Pearl’s attempt at keeping herself distracted. Spinel assumed she just didn’t like her, so she ignored Pearl the whole time.

“Are you… alright?” She hears a voice speak up from behind. Spinel turns her head to Pearl, who had a half folded shirt in her hands. She had a familiar look on her face, a mixture of pity and concern, but it always seemed a little hostile. It was that same look that Pearl always gave the smaller gem when she thought Spinel was doing something wrong. 

“I’m fine,” Spinel had shifted, her gaze moving to look outside again. She pulled her legs up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. “Steven’s busy… so I’m just waiting for him to come back.” The gem tightened her arms around herself a bit more. “If that’s okay with you…” That last bit holding a bitter tone to it.

“What? Of course that’s fine, why would you think it wouldn’t be?” Pearl sounded confused, lowering the shirt so that it laid in her lap. She wasn’t aware of the look she gave moments prior.

“You’re giving me that look again… just wanted to make sure I wasn’t bothering you with my presence.” Spinel bitterly stated, side eyeing Pearl and holding the glare she was giving.

“Wha- Excuse me? What look do I happen to be giving you?” Pearl looked offended, but immediately looks at the floor, her eyes searching for something to focus on as she thinks for a moment. Garnet had mentioned to her about Spinel being a bit… sensitive, was this what she was talking about? She was pulled from her thoughts when Spinel lets out a groan, rubbing her face with a gloved hand.

“Every time I see you look at me, it’s always with this stupid… pity look!” Her arms unravel from her body and she uncurls from herself. Pearl was looking at her again, a cautious look on her face this time. Spinel had stood up at this point, but she didn’t move from where she was. “You’ve been giving me that look ever since I got here. Am I broken?” Her hands balled into fists. The taller gem had placed the shirt off to the side, standing with her hands held up.

“Spinel, don’t be ridiculous, you’re not broken.” Pearl reasoned, giving a half smile.

“Then why have you been ignoring me all day? Why do you keep looking at me like I’m… L-Like I’m defective…” Spinel started to visibly shake, there were tears starting to form. This caught Pearl off guard, was she really looking at her wrong? She wasn’t doing it intentionally, and definitely didn’t mean to upset the other. “I don’t understand why you hate me so much… did… did I do something wrong?” Spinel deflated a bit, her gaze falling from Pearl to the floor as tears started running down her face. The taller gem watched, surprised, then worried when the other had deflated, literally, to her knees.  
“Spinel… I don’t hate you, I’m sorry I made you feel like I did, I just,” Pearl paused for a moment, her eyes fixed to the floor, then to the other gem. She walked over to Spinel and knelt down beside her. She lifted a hand up to place on Spinel’s shoulder, but hesitation got the better of her. “I suppose I’m not sure how to process this, how to process you being here… why Rose… why Pink had left you there in the garden.” She fell silent, her eyes staring at the floor. Spinel was watching Pearl, unsure what to do or say. Her gaze fell, and she deflated a bit more.

“She got… tired of me…” Spinel manage to get out. Her arms wrapping around her body, like an elastic cocoon. Pearl looked at the smaller gem, mild shock on her face while her eyes were showing sadness.

“I didn’t realize I made you think I didn’t like you, honestly, I figured you hated me.” Pearl lets out a nervous chuckle. Spinel blinked, wiping the tears from her eyes, though it was pointless, as they just got worse.

“It’s not… n-not you I hate… I n-never hated you,” She managed to get out through the heavy breathing she was doing. “Y-You didn’t do a-anything wrong… P-Pink did, but…” The smaller gem choked a bit, trying to find the right words for this. “I’m not mad at her either… how could I be, Pink was e-everything to me.” Spinel’s hands wandered to her gem, gripping it slightly as she spoke. “I just… I failed her, my whole purpose w-was to be her… her playmate and I couldn’t even make her happy, I don’t… I don’t think I ever did.”

Pearl remained silent for a while, but she had taken the chance to wrap her arms around Spinel. The two gems sitting there in Pearl’s embrace. Eventually Spinel had wrapped her arms around the two of them, holding them in a tight hug as the smaller gem sobbed silently in the other’s arms.

“If it helps, you weren’t the only one who couldn’t make her happy.” Pearl broke the silence, “I could never make her happy, even when I was doing everything I could to make sure she was. Then… like you, she left us behind.” Pearl’s voice cracked at the last bit. Her arms tightening a little around Spinel as she tried to stifle a sob.

“I’m sorry,” Spinel managed after a moment, which made Pearl shift to look at her.

“What for?” Pearl looked slightly confused, but thoughtful.

“For being a bother, I’m sure you all would have been better off never finding me…” Spinel unwrapped herself from Pearl, pulling away a bit and wrapping her arms around herself. She was staring at the floor, looking guilty.

“Spinel, you are far from being a bother,” Pearl gave a small smile. “If I’m being honest, I’d say you’re a good addition to the family,” her smile widens a bit.

“E-Even with all my flaws? I don’t feel like I d-deserve any o-of this, a-any of you guys.” Spinel managed to keep her tears in check, wiping them away before looking at the taller gem.

“Especially with all your flaws,” Pearl’s smile becomes thoughtful as she leans over and gives the other another hug. Spinel had deflated again, her arms shift enough that she stretched them around Pearl in a loose hug while her head leaned against the other’s chest, tears staining Pearl’s shirt. “If anything, I should apologize to you, for making you feel this way when I should have been helping you understand things better… You’ve been in that garden for a long time, I shouldn’t have assumed you were going to understand and accept all the changes that had happened in your absence.”

Spinel remained silent, at this point, anything else she might have said didn’t seem important anymore. Then the two gems heard the sound of the warp activate. Pearl looked over seeing Steven and Garnet appear in the warp light’s place. The hybrid was about to greet the two, until he noticed who Pearl was holding in her arms, and whose arms were wrapped around Pearl. She gives a soft smile, patting Spinel’s head. Spinel doesn’t move from where she is. She also doesn’t take notice of Steven or Garnet. The smaller gem just stays there in the embrace of the other, too emotionally tired to do anything else for now.


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey Spinel!” The hybrid pokes his head in through the front door before fully entering into the house. Steven had just gotten done with his morning errands and now had the rest of the day free. Which he had promised to spend with the smaller gem.

Spinel had been sitting next to Amethyst on the couch. Where the two gems had spent a good portion of the morning. Both were watching one of Amethyst’s favorite shows on a tablet that was resting on the coffee table. Their gaze shifted from the screen to Steven and though Spinel had moved to sit up on the couch, Amethyst remained in her slouched position, giving a lazy wave to the hybrid as he came in.

“Steven, you finished your errands early!” The gem smiled wide, reaching to pause the show, much to Amethyst's protest.

“Yeah, now that I’m done, we can hang out now!” Steven returned the smile. Both Amethyst and Spinel stood up, the purple gem stretching while the hybrid went up the stairs, “Give me a moment to get ready.” He walks up the stairs, disappearing around the corner.

It doesn’t take long for Steven to return, he no longer had his messenger bag with him and instead of wearing his usual jacket, he had removed it and left it in his room.

“Okay, you two ready?” He asks, passing the two of them and heading towards the warp.

“Heck yeah dude!” Amethyst gives a thumbs up, motioning for Spinel to follow her. “Time to show you some more of what earth has to offer.” She gives a lazy smile, stepping up onto the warp. Spinel joins them both shortly after, smiling wide. A few seconds later, the warp lights up and transports the group away from the temple.

They reappeared moments later, surrounded by trees coated in leaves that ranged in a multitude of colors. Spinel takes it in with wide eyes that sparkle with curiosity.

“Oh wow!” She hops off the warp pad and runs up to one, it was so tall. At least 20 times larger than her. Spinel stretches her legs, causing her body to lift up high enough to touch the leaves. “There’s so many colors!” She plucks a couple leaves off various branches, making sure to grab all the different colors. Before the others knew, Spinel had come back to them with an armful of leaves, a big grin on her face as she bounces in place before them. “Look at all the colors!” She exclaims, excited to see more now if this is what she will be seeing.

“Come on, there’s plenty more to see,” Steven chuckles, the smaller gems excitement somewhat contagious as he was excited to show her around. He motions for Spinel to follow him as he starts walking in a random direction.

They walked for a good while and in that time, Spinel found herself running from tree to tree in curiosity. At one point, she stumbled into a creek, falling face first into the shallow water. There was a chuckle from Amethyst as Steven rushed over, worried.

“Spinel!” He had a concerned look on his face and he fussed over the small gem a bit. “Are you okay?” She gave him a thumbs up when he asked, lifting her head to give a half smile.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just didn’t see where I was walking is all,” She says, her eyes wandering up to the hybrid, and then to Amethyst, who was leaning over the two of them. Spinel sits up, rubbing her face a bit as she chuckles. “It’ll take a little more than falling face first into the water to phase me.” She’s a defiant hand on her chest, her gaze catches something shift in the shadows not to far from the group. “Huh?”

“Spinel?” Steven shifts, looking in the direction that Spinel had her gaze fixed on. His eyes widened when a mass of multicolored fur bursts from the bushes and charges at the trio. Steven just manages to put up a bubble as the beast rams into the pink surface. “What?” He manages to get out as all three get a better look at the animalistic form of a corrupted gem.

Massive clawed paws slam repeatedly into the shield, scraping against it with enough force that after a few tries, the surface begins to crack. Steven, despite the shields condition, remained stern and unfazed, though it was clear he was struggling a bit to keep the bubble up.

“On the count of three, we get to a safer distance, got it?” He looks back at the two gems. Amethyst had drawn her whip, holding it at the ready, she gave a nod in response. Spinel was staring wide eyed at the corrupted gem before them, she almost didn’t catch what Steven said. She gave a small nod, scrambling to her feet. She looks between the beast and Steven as he began to count down. “ONE… TWO… THREE!”

The hybrid drops the shield, Amethyst darts off away from the beast and away from the group. Steven takes Spinel’s hand and as fast as he could, pulls her with him and they make a run for it. The gem beast charges after them, letting out a roar. It doesn’t take long for the beast to catch up to them and swipe its claws at Spinel, who was the closest within reach. As the claws grab her back, she is pulled from Steven and flung into some bushes off to the side.

“SPINEL!” The hybrid manages to call out before he’s jumped by the beast and engages it. The pink gem gets up slowly, rubbing her head. She looks around her, more specifically behind her, where the edge of a ravine managed to be. Spinel paled a bit before letting out a sigh. Had she been thrown any further, she would have certainly fallen over the edge.

“I’m fine!” Spinel called out to Steven as she watched him grab hold of the beast’s pale blue mane. The hybrid, assisted by Amethyst, manage to toss the beast towards the edge. What they hadn’t accounted for was were towards the edge they released their grip and sent the beast towards Spinel. Before she could find something to gain leverage on, the corrupted gem collided with her, sending them both over the edge and into the ravine below, where they fell victim to the currents of the river at the bottom.

When she wakes, Spinel finds herself washed up on a small bank, covered in mud. Her vision blurred for a moment as she regains her senses and her eyes dart around when she’s fully aware. She didn’t recognize her surroundings, the trees were larger and what she could see through the canopy, the sky had taken on an orange hue.

“How long was I out?” She mumbled to herself, she looked around a bit more. On the opposite side of the river, she could see that the ground was torn up a bit, claw marks dug into the side of the small rise that resided along the river’s side. It looks like she wouldn’t have to worry about that creature.

She curled up a bit, that creature, that was one of those corrupted gems that Steven had told her about right? It looked so feral, so… it wasn’t even a gem anymore and she was out here in the middle of nowhere with it. She could feel herself start to panic. She focused on herself for a moment, her hands shaking as she cleaned the mud off of her as best she could. Then she decided to move away from the river, not wanting to risk getting caught up in its currents again.

It was getting dark now, much harder to see where she was heading. The trees were much thicker here than back at the warp. She also didn’t know which way was which, as she couldn’t find anything familiar in the distance when she stretched up to look above the trees. Spinel shrunk down, smaller than her usual height. Her gem lit up, casting enough light to help her see in the darkened area.

“Oh boy, I just… J-Just love the… the forest…” she spoke, mostly to herself, a way to feel less alone than she already was. “When did it become so scary?” she walked slowly, her arms wrapped around herself multiple times. She only really felt a bit spooked by the area, until a snapping noise was heard from behind her. “AAAAAAAAH!” Spinel jumped, running away from the noise before it had the chance to show what made it.

Her gem had flickered in the chaos, as her mind wasn’t really set on being able to see more so than just running as far away as possible. Which had worked, for a bit anyways, until she found herself tripping over a tree root that sent her rolling into some bushes. Then she felt the ground gave way beneath her as she managed to find herself falling off a short cliff, all while screaming at the top of her lungs.

The ground felt much softer than she was expecting. In fact it didn’t feel much like ground at all, especially when it started to move. Her ankle was grabbed and she felt herself being thrown off her cushion and into the nearby wall.

“OOF!” Her face collided with it first, and she melted down to the ground shortly after, curling up into a ball. “PLEASE DON’T HURT ME, MR. BEAST THING! I DON’T TASTE GOOD!” she held her arms up in a defensive manner.

“What? I’m not going to eat you, don’t be stupid,” in a low growl, the being stood up and towered, literally, over the pink gem. Spinel lowered her arms a bit, squinting at the other. She lit up her gem again to get a better look. To her surprise, it was another gem, a big gem, with a small stone located on the nose of their face. “Why the hell were you screaming?”


	7. Chapter 7

There was a long silence between the two gems. Spinel had locked eyes with the Jasper before her, who visibly looked more and more impatient with the lack of response from the smaller gem.

“Pyrope got your tongue or something?” Jasper finally broke the silence, her voice holding an aggressive tone to it. When she didn’t receive a response from the other gem, she rolled her eyes and turned to start walking away.

“WAIT!” Spinel had snapped out of her initial shock and had reached her arms out to wrap around the other, closing the space between the two as she now clings to the larger gem.

“What? Get off me!” Jasper pushes Spinel off, or tries to at least. The smaller gem’s elastic form causes her to stretch as she clings to the other.

“Don’t leave me here in this… this place!” Spinel looks up at Jasper, giving her the most tearful look she could muster. The larger gem just grew more annoyed, grabbing her arms and gripping hard enough that it causes the other to cry out and unravel herself from Jasper. Then watched as Jasper started walking away again, “I… I need help… I’m sorry.”

Jasper pauses for a moment, turning her head enough that she could see a now somewhat deflated Spinel standing there. She gives an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes and motions for the smaller gem to follow.

“Come on… My patience only lasts so long.” Jasper states, starting to walk away again. Spinel blinks, then gives a small smile and immediately starts off after the gem.

~~~

Steven and Amethyst both had immediately panicked the moment they saw Spinel and the corrupted gem fly over the edge of the ravine. Amethyst had moved first, darting towards the edge with her whip, swung it down towards the pink gem and as it stretched towards Spinel, it misses.

“SPINEL!” The purple gem cried out over the edge of the ravine just before it began to collapse beneath her. Amethyst managed to jump back in time and lands near Steven. "Dude, Steven, we… did we just kill Spinel?"

The hybrid was staring at where the pink gem was moment prior, a mixture of panic and shock plastered on his face. He rushed over to the edge, careful not to step in any weak spots, though he would have been able to avoid it. He managed to see far enough down to spot both the gems meeting the surface of the river below and disappearing into its depths. There was a brief moment of relief that managed to sneak it's way into his thoughts, before realizing that there was still the possibility that something worse could happen.

"Amethyst, come on!" Steven immediately charges along the ravines edge, following the river below. The other gem, watching the hybrid run off, follows after, the two of them hoping they can keep track of where their friend comes out.

They ran for a good while, Steven had eventually ran out of stamina, despite his gem giving him a boost. He slowed to a stop, panting as he leaned against the nearest tree. An attempt to catch his breath.

"Sorry, I just… I just need a moment to rest." He manages to say, but he feels a hand on his shoulders and looks to meet Amethyst's gaze.

"Steven, maybe we should call it a night," Amethyst gave him a worried look, then looked up at whatever sky she could see through the trees. "It's getting late and we won't be able to see much once night comes." She looked back at Steven, who was looking at the ground for a moment before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I know… but we cant leave Spinel out here, she could get hurt if she isn't already," Steven stared at the ground again, a slightly defeated look on his face. "She's out here, probably lost and confused, not to mention alone, what if she thinks we abandoned her like mom did?" The hybrid looked almost angry now. His hands clenched into fists, but he refrained from acting on them.

"Dude, hey, I'm sure she'll be okay, Spinel will probably hole herself up somewhere and wait," She gives a smile as she places her hands and Steven's shoulders. "We're not abandoning her, just retreating for a moment to regain our strength." Steven hugs the other gem, who returns the gesture.

"Okay, first thing in the morning," The hybrid spoke, mumbled into Amethyst's shoulder.

"Yeah."

~~~

Night had fallen, the two gems had remained silent the whole time they walked. Spinel had taken to fidgeting with her hands, too nervous to speak up to Jasper, who made it very clear earlier that evening that she didn't want to be pestered the entire time they were together.

"Hey," Jasper spoke up, causing Spinel to jump and get defensive.

"Y-Yeah?" Spinel spoke in a soft tone, her arms slowly wrapping around herself.

"You said something about a monster earlier, right?" The larger gem had slowed down, moving to walk beside the gem rather than ahead.

"Oh!" The pink gem immediately went into panic mode and shifted to hide behind Jasper, looking around frantically as they walked. "It was big, had white hair all over its head and was purple and orange. It walked around on all fours, too. I think it was a corrupted gem, but this would have been the first time I had seen one, so I'm not completely sure."

"Alright, suppose we should keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious." Jasper kept her pace, but her steps grew more quiet, carefully stepping as to not disturb the forest floor.

-snap!-

Jasper stops, the smaller gem having to cover her mouth as to not make any noise. The two stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"Why is it so quiet?" Spinel managed a soft whisper.

"Not sure," the larger gem looked around, her glow only bright enough to see the closest trees and bushes. As she scanned the area, the bushes behind the duo rustle for a moment, causing both to look towards the sound and pause.

“Uh…” Spinel had turned herself around, now facing the bushes. Her gem, being much larger than Jasper’s, gave off a brighter glow, illuminating more of the area around and further away. “UH!” the two gems were met with the faceless gaze of the corrupted gem.

“Get behind me, half-pint!” Jasper pushed her way in front of Spinel just as the beast charged from its hiding spot. The larger gem dons her weapon, headbutting the creature away from the two before charging at it herself.

As Jasper engages the corrupted gem, Spinel takes this moment to climb up the nearest tree and out of sight of the two. Her gem’s glow dims a bit, her anxiety having spiked enough that she was too afraid to cross paths with the gems below her.

The corrupted gem was grappled and thrown into the air, being sent towards the tree Spinel had perched in. When it collided, it shook the structure enough that the pink gem was caught off guard and fell down, landing on the back of the beast as it rose. Startled by having something clinging to its back, the creature starts slamming its back into other trees, trying to shake the small gem off.

Spinel has her arms wrapped around the neck of the corrupted gem, just trying to keep from being flung off. Jasper takes the distraction as her chance to summon her weapon and spin towards the beast. The larger gem manages to ram the side of the creature, causing it to be thrown against the nearest tree. The impact also causes Spinel to lose her grip on the beast as well, flinging her to the side. She takes the chance to move further away from the fight.

Jasper walks up to the corrupted gem, weapon still drawn. The gem shifts, struggling a bit to stand after just having the wind knocked out of them. She takes a fist, readies and slams it into the gem with as much power behind it as possible for her, causing it to poof.

From Spinel’s view, the moment that Jasper’s fist met the beast’s skin, a mass of smoke flooded the area. The next thing she saw as the area cleared was Jasper standing over the gem that remained, lifeless on the ground.

“Heh, no match for me,” the larger gem let out a chuckle, as if she enjoyed the fight she was just in. When she caught sight of Spinel staring between her and the gem on the ground, she frowned, turning away from the smaller gem. “Pathetic, this was what you were running from? Couldn’t even hold its own against me… weak.” Jasper makes a disgusted face at the corrupted gem before she begins walking away.

Spinel had sat there for a few moments, processing the current state of things. She had to shake her head a bit to bring herself back to the present. Her eyes went from Jasper to the corrupted gem, moving to stand and make her way over to it.

“We can’t just leave it here,” She spoke loud enough that Jasper had stopped walking and turned to look at Spinel. The smaller gem knelt down, a hand raised over the gem. She had seen Steven do this a few times, mostly on random objects he wanted to save for later, but maybe she could try it?

She focused on the gem, a tongue sticking out the side of her mouth in concentration. She remembered Steven telling her once that when he made bubbles as a kid, it was done to protect whatever was inside. The memory clicked a bit, and she felt a need to hold the gem close to protect it.

The next thing she knew, a dark pink bubble formed around the corrupted gem, shielding it from the outside world.


	8. Chapter 8

She held the bubble in her hands, staring at it intently. Spinel was careful, making sure that the bubble was stable enough to move around with it. She couldn't believe she was actually able to summon a bubble. Granted she had never tried before, not even having the need to do so, but still. The small gem smiled, there was this good feeling inside her. However, her good feeling was interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing.

"Hey, let's get moving," Jasper groaned, turning to walk away again.

"Oh! S-Sorry!" Spinel ran to catch up with her, holding her bubble close to her chest.

"Do you really need to bring that thing with us?" The larger gem looked visibly uncomfortable, despite trying to look tough as well.

"We can't just leave it out here, we should see if… I have a friend who might know how to heal it." Spinel held the bubble up a bit, getting a better look at the gem inside. She doesn't notice Jasper stopping in her tracks to look down at her. When Spinel bumps into the larger gem, she backs up to find Jasper glaring at her. "Uh…"

"You mean Pink Diamond?" Jasper let out a low growl, her hands forming into fists. The smaller gem shrinks a little, not really sure what to do.

"Y-Yes? Well no-no, his name is St-Steven," Spinel managed to say before she had a larger gem stand over her.

"Whatever his or her fucking name is…" Jasper seemed to hold some if not a lot of animosity towards the hybrid, as she immediately went to punch a tree, causing the wood to splinter and break apart. This made the smaller gem shrank a bit more, her arms slowly wrapping around herself and the gem against her chest. She was instinctively forming a shield incase Jasper went so far as to try and poof her too. The larger gem watched the pink gem as she cowered beneath her. As if realizing what exactly she was cowering at, Jasper's expression changed and she backed away, almost ashamed of her reaction. The larger gem had once again turned and started walking away.

Spinel blinks, confused by the sudden change in demeanor. She unravels herself and follows from a short distance. The two fall into silence again, Spinel being too afraid to say anything again. It didn't take long for her to break the silence.

"Jasper? Did Pink hurt you too?" Spinel had almost spoke in a whisper.

"Doesn't matter anymore…" The larger gem spoke in an aggressive tone, like she was grinding her teeth. "I hate her and I hate her… son, whatever that is…" jasper never did understand the human familial titles, nor did she really care.

"If you hate them so much, why are you here on earth?" More out of curiosity, why would someone stay here if they didn't want to? She waited a few minutes, when she didn't receive an answer, she pressed for it, literally. The smaller gem extended a hand, poking Jasper in the shoulder, "Wel- EEP!" Her hand was immediately grabbed and she was pulled towards the larger gem, now face to face with Jasper's form.

"I don't have to answer to a weak gem like you." Jasper tugged her arm, lifting Spinel up off the ground and tossing her to side into a nearby tree. It took Spinel a moment to recover, a hand still on the bubble as she stood up. Another hand raised to her head, rubbing it lightly, and a sudden spark of… anger?

"I'm not weak…" she spoke softly, loud enough that Jasper, who had turned to leave, stopped and tilted her head.

"What was that? Couldn't hear you over the sound of your pathetic-" Caught off guard, a massive hand lodged itself into the tree next to the larger gem, "What the…"

"I'm… not… WEAK." The pink gem was breathing heavily, and her eyes fixed on Jasper, who was now looking at the smaller gem with surprise. Her eyes shifted in color, from the usual black to a dark pink, her pupils like pin holes. She was glaring at her, a hand kept on the bubble as her other hand retracts out of the tree.

"Huh… so you do have a spine," A smile crawls across Jasper's face, she certainly wasn't expecting this tiny gem that she just met hours ago to have enough force behind her punches to break a tree.

"Why are you being so… so mean? What have I done to you to make you act so… so dumb!" Spinel yelled at the larger gem. Jasper wasn't sure if she was trying to be intimidating or just trying to make her angry. She chuckled, then it turned into a laugh.

"Oh man, is that all you go-" A fist met Jasper's face with enough force to send her back a few feet. Her body met the ground and the moment she regained her senses, she glared at the pink gem. Jasper chuckles, her gaze held with Spinel, "Oh this… this is gonna be fun." And she launched herself at the smaller gem.

Spinel just barely avoids the impact, stretching her legs high enough that she grabbed a branch to pull her up and out of the way. She places the bubbles gem down somewhere secure before she whips herself back down, feet connecting with Jasper's back, causing the larger gem to face plant the ground. She jumps off the gems back, landing far enough to stretch her arms towards the other and wrapping her in a tight grip. She manages enough pull to drag Jasper forward and into a tree, causing it to break and fall onto the larger gem. She took this moment to release her grip and move away.

Jasper growls, this gem was quick. She shifts, lifting the debris off of her and looking back at Spinel. A hand reached for some of the broken pieces of the tree and she began throwing them at the smaller gem. When she sees none of her blows landing, she growls again, annoyed.

"Stop MOVING," She growls, continuing to throw what was in reach.

"Aw, what's the matter? Can't keep up without that big head of yours getting in the way?" A crooked smile formed on Spinel's face, and a low chuckle worked its way out though her teeth. She dodges everything Jasper throws at her, flinging herself up and out of the way. Her body bouncing from one place to the next, keeping her gaze trained on the larger gem, who grew more aggressive the more Spinel avoided her attacks.

The larger gem growls again, she had ran out of things she could readily grab and throw. It only took a second for her to lose sight of her opponent. She had shifted her gaze to the ground to try and find something she could throw, giving Spinel the chance to disappear. It wasn’t until she had turned her head back to where the pink gem was that she felt something collide with her head, knocking her off balance and stumbling to the side. She shook the remains of rock shards out of her hair as she gathered herself. Her gaze meets face to face with the pink gem just before she feels something pierce through her form.

“Ah…” Jasper looks down, finding a massive shard of wood lodged into her chest. “Heh, you’re stronger than you look…” She manages to get out just before her form poofs and her gem falls to the ground.

Spinel was breathing heavily, her body hunched over slightly as she watched the larger gem’s form give way to smoke. She glared down at the gem, no lifeless on the ground. Her arm stretches, reaching for a stone shard and pulling it close to her. How easily she could just… break this gem. She held the stone up above her head, the point aimed downward. Something clicked in the back of her mind, staring at the unmoving gem on the ground before her.

The pink gem suddenly drops the stone, what was she… She was about to… no… no no no… She backs away from the gem, hands moving to her mouth, her eyes wide with the realization of what she was about to do. She could have so easily shattered the gem, she even wanted to. Why was she so angry? Jasper did call her weak, but she was, at least she thought she was.

“No… no no no no...Wh-what was I-,” She found herself backed up against a tree, falling back onto it and siding down to the ground. Spinel pulled her legs close to her chest, a hand moves from her mouth, reaching up to tug at one of her pigtails, pulling the hair loose from its misshapen heart form. She let out a labored breath, a hand moving to grip her chest. “I-I didn’t… I don’t… I-I… I-I wanted to… h-hurt you…” She managed through the harsh breathing, tears running down her face.

Spinel curled up more, her eyes staring at Jasper’s gem. She couldn’t remember ever being this angry before, even when Steven found her, she wasn’t nearly as angry as she was a few minutes ago. Why was she so angry? Her hands drifted to her gem, gripping it tightly. That pain she had felt before was back, but it felt… wrong, but good, like that anger she was feeling had relieved some of the pain.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” the pink gem started mumbling to herself, her eyes falling to the ground as a hand moved up to cover some of her face. Tears still streaming down her face. Spinel curled up as much as she could, her free arm wrapping around herself in a protective manner.

She remained there on the ground for a good while, at least, until the gem on the ground began to glow.


End file.
